What is Your Pelvic Floor?

What can back pain, hip pain, and incontinence have in common? They can all be connected to the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor disorders are not just side effects of pregnancy. Everyone has a pelvic floor. 

The pelvic floor can be imagined as a basket or hammock woven of muscles and connective tissues that attaches to the bottom of the pelvis. This structure supports the internal organs, specifically the bladder, urethra, intestines, and rectum. In people with vaginas, the uterus, vagina, and cervix are supported by the pelvic floor as well. These muscles prevent leakage of urine and stool, and also play a role in stabilizing the body while walking and standing.

The pelvis is where the strong muscles in the hips, legs, and buttocks attach, as well as the abdominal muscles. The spine connects to the pelvis as well at the sacra-iliac joint, and this confluence of joints, muscles, and connective tissues bears the brunt of the body’s weight. These tissues can be stressed by pregnancy and birth, but also by carrying excess weight, surgery, repeated heavy lifting, prolonged sitting, certain chronic conditions, and chronic constipation. This can lead to incontinence and the frequent urge to urinate or defecate, pain in the lower back, hips, or genitals, or organ prolapse. 

These muscles have to be able to contract, to prevent leakage of urine or feces, but also to relax, to allow the bladder and bowels to empty completely. Problems and pain can be associated with both hypotonic muscles (muscles that do not contract strongly) and hypertonic muscles (muscles that do not relax). Developing awareness can help people practice contracting and releasing these muscles. Both strength and flexibility are important to maintain in all the muscles of the hips, buttocks, lower back, and pelvic floor. 

Here are some ways to support pelvic floor health.

1. Get up and moving regularly. After sitting for half an hour, take a couple of minutes to get up, move your body, and do some stretching. A brisk walk, a quick march in place, a figure-four stretch, or a couple of toe touches are all ways to invigorate and activate your muscles. If you mostly sit at work, consider a standing desk to vary positions throughout the day, or taking “walking meetings” to increase movement. 
2. Focus on both strength and flexibility when exercising. Exercises to help tone the pelvic floor include Kegels and heel slides. Exercises like the Happy Baby yoga pose and deep breathing from the diaphragm help relax those muscles. Be sure to activate your core when doing the exercises. In addition to building core strength, stretching or yoga routines that increase flexibility in the lower back and the large muscles of the hips and thighs can be helpful as well. 
3. See your chiropractor to make sure your pelvis is balanced and aligned. For example, if you’ve been carrying children on one hip for years, you may be due for an adjustment. Your chiropractor can check your sacroiliac joint as well and will be able to tell if there are restrictions in your movement. 
4. Visit a pelvic floor physical therapist. An expert can help you pinpoint specific exercises to address particular problems. 

What many people don’t know is that pelvic floor disorders are both quite common and also quite treatable. If you are experiencing symptoms, you don’t have to dismiss them as the price of aging or just the way things are. Talk to your healthcare provider. General exercises can be done at home and can improve the situation. Usually it takes 4-6 weeks of regular practice to begin to see changes. You may also be referred to a pelvic floor specialist, depending on your situation.

At Natural State Health Center, our integrative team is here to support your health and well-being.